Freestone County, Texas Census Transcribed and Submitted by Steven Butler About the 1860 Mortality Schedule of Freestone County, Texas In addition to the actual 1860 Federal Census and accompanying Slave Schedule, each census enumerator was required to record the names and cause of death of all persons who had died in the county within the past year, i.e., from June 1859 to June 1860. This information was noted on a form called a "Mortality Schedule." Each hand-numbered page had spaces for 35 individuals and was divided into 11 columns which asked for the following information: 1. Name of every person who died during the year ending 1st June 1860, whose usual place of abode at the time of death was in this family. (Note: A name followed by a dash and another name or a blank space indicates a slave-holder and a slave, the slave being the person who died.) 2. Age. 3. Sex. 4. Color (White not indicated by Freestone County enumerator. B = Black; M = Mulatto, i.e., mixed race). 5. Free or Slave (Free not indicated by Freestone County enumerator. S = Slave). 6. Married or Single (Single not indicated by Freestone County enumerator. M = Married). 7. Place of Birth. 8. The month in which the person died. 9. Profession, occupation or trade. 10. Disease or cause of death. 11. Number of days ill. At the bottom of each page was space for miscellaneous remarks by the census enumerator, regarding the prevalence of disease, water quality in the county and so on. W. R. Daviss, the Freestone County enumerator chose to skip columns 4 and 5 if the person who died was a free white, filling in those two columns only if the deceased was a slave. For column 6, he chose only to indicate if a person was married. It can be assumed that all others were single. The occupation of a slave is sometimes given, sometimes not. No occupation is given for any woman. If a slave died, his or her master's or mistress's name is written first, followed by the deceased slave's name. Sometimes a slave is not named. However, it should be noted that aside from deeds, wills and bills of sale the Mortality Schedule is one of the few places in which a slave's name might be recorded. For this reason, the mortality schedule may be of particular interest to anyone researching slave ancestry. The majority of deaths which are listed in this particular schedule are those of children. Unsanitary conditions, among both slaves and free whites, often accounted for many of the diseases which took the life of a young child. Yet it appears that if a person, lived to middle age, he or she stood a good chance of living to an exceptionally ripe old age. In this schedule, for example, are recorded the deaths, from old age, of three slaves who lived to be 80, 90, and 105 respectively! Two were women. The oldest was born in South Carolina about 1755 - more than twenty years before the American Revolution! She was the servant of Mrs. Mary McIlvain. Siss (?), a slave belonging to Mary Hatcher, was born in Africa in 1770. The man, whose name was John, was born about 1780. His birthplace was unknown. The majority of adults listed in the schedule were slaves. Their particular susceptibility to disease was probably no doubt owing to their limited diet and the crowded, unsanitary living conditions they had to endure. Modern day readers may not be familiar with 19th Century names for some diseases. "Flux," for example was an excessive, abnormal discharge from the bowels; "Dropsy" was what is now called Edema - an abnormal accumulation of fluids in body tissue, usually the result of impending kidney failure; and "Consumption" was Tuberculosis, a then-incurable lung disease which caused a great deal of suffering and claimed many lives. One death was due to some particularly tragic and unfortunate circumstances: a slave mother "overlaid" her baby, while both were sleeping, and smothered it (see page 109). It seems surprising that so few deaths were the result of accidents. The accidental death of a slave named Lewis, who belonged to H.L. Graves, is especially curious: he was overcome by "foul air in a well" and died suddenly. Why was he in a well? Was he digging it? Another slave, William, was also the victim of an accident but again, no details were noted. He was the property of W. F. Daniel. One unnamed slave, a young man of only 22 years of age belonging to W. A. Milam, committed suicide in April 1860. Some families seem to have had more than their share of untimely deaths. The Nunn family, for example, lost two children and their mother (presumably) in June and July 1859. And in May 1860, two of the Netherland children were taken away - one by "flux", the other by "inflammation of the brain". ==================================================================== Transcription Notes for the Web: [ ] = Blank Column; "" were replaced with duplicate info ==================================================================== Transcription from the National Archives microfilm Page 1 1860 Freestone County, Texas Mortality Schedule 01 D.J.(Moody?) - Joanna 1 F MS Tex. Oct. [ ] Dysentary 6 days 02 J.G. Wallace - infant 1 F [ ] Tex. Nov. [ ] Dysentary 9 months 03 J.G. Wallace - Zack 30 M BS Ga. March Carpenter Pneumonia 8 days 04 H.L. Graves - Lewis 28 M BS Mo. May Cook Foul air in well Sudden 05 John P. Horn - infant 4/12 M [ ] Tex. May [ ] Dysentary 8 days 06 P.W. Winter - P.W. 4/12 M [ ] Miss. May [ ] Dysentary Sudden 07 W.A. Milam - 22 M BS Miss. Apr. Farm Hand Suicide Sudden 08 R.A. Gordon - 3 M BS Tex. [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 09 R.A. Gordon - 1 M BS Tex. [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 10 R.A. Gordon - 1 F MS Tex. Decr. [ ] F. Air 10 days 11 John Mimms - 5/12 F BS Tex. Jany. [ ] Croup 8 days 12 P.L. Stubbs-daughter 2 F [ ] Tex. Oct. [ ] Flux 10 days 13 Laonus? - 1 M [ ] [ ] Sept. [ ] Flux 9 days 14 Servt.Mrs.Mary McIlvain 105 M BS S.C. Feb. [ ] Old Age [] 15 W.H. Cotton - infant 2/12 M [ ] Tex. Nov. [ ] Flux 6 days 16 J.B. Grayson - Susan 1 F BS [ ] Apr. [ ] Teething? 8 days 17 Margaret A. Collett 23 F [ ] Ala. Oct. [ ] Hemorrage from lungs 30 days Remarks: There has been no disease prevailing to any extent during the past twelve months, (except) some flux which has prevailed to a greater degree than any other disease. This disease is not confined to any one county but seems to extend to all parts of my subdivision. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 2 1860 Freestone County, Texas Mortality Schedule 01 J.B. Johnson - Moses 1 M BS Tex. May [ ] Pneumonia 8 days 02 F.M. Bradley - Mary 48 F BS Ga. Apr. [ ] Unknown 2 years 03 " " " - Elias 10 M BS Ala. March [ ] Typhoid Fever 28 days 04 " " " - infant 3/12 M BS Tex. Unknown [ ] Unknown Unknown 05 " " " - infant 2/12 M BS " " [ ] " " 06 R.T. Patton 66 M [ ] Ga. Apr. Farmer Billious Cholic 13 days 07 (Septhy?) L. Mazell 2/12 M [ ] Tex. Decr. [ ] Unknown Unknown 08 G.W. Ross - Francis 6/12 M BS Ala. May [ ] From a fall 2 days 09 D.F. Clark 24 F [ ] Ky. May [ ] Consumption [ ] 10 J. Steele - Frances 1 6/12 F BS Tex. Decr. [ ] Croup 4 days 11 E.A. McCracin - 40 F BS N.C. Jany. [ ] Emphysema? 1 day 12 Geo.R.Patton(M.F.T.Horn? 1 M BS Tex. March [ ] Unknown [ ] 13 Sarah Story 27 F M S.C. June [ ] " Sudden 14 Linda Demming 1 1/2 F [ ] Tex. Feb. [ ] Croup 4 days 15 John Mills - Isaac 6/12 M BS " Decr. [ ] Chronic Diarriah 4 days 16 M.T. Smith - Eliza 31 F BS N.C. Jany. [ ] ( - ? - ) Fever 4 weeks 17 M.(P.?)Smith 6 F [ ] Va. Decr. [ ] Sea Sickness 13 days 18 C.T. Echols - Nancy 65 F BS " July [ ] Dropsy 2 months 19 Margarett (Joseph?) 3 F [ ] Ala. Sept. [ ] Billious Fever 9 days 20 C.W. Dunagan Junr. 1 M [ ] Tex. Oct. [ ] Flux 3 weeks 21 Charles G. Dunagan 35 M [ ] Miss.Apr. Farmer Pneumonia 13 days 22 Lucy E. " 12 F [ ] Tex. June/59 [ ] Accidental 24 hours 23 B[enjamin] P. Ferrell - Argus 37 M BS Ala. Sept. Farm Hand Inflammatory Fever 15 days 24 Thomas Lamb - Susan 1 F BS Tex. March [ ] Unknown 6 months 25 S.J. Bonner - Slave 6 M BS Ala. Jany. [ ] Epilepsy 6 days 26 William M. Hinds - Charles 2 M BS Tex. Decr. [ ] Inflamatory Cold 2 weeks 27 L.R. Wortham - George 30 M BS Tenn. Feb. [ ] Flux 10 days 28 " " " - Sam 1 M BS Tex. June/59 [ ] Fever 8 days 29 Lucinda Carter - Pheby 26 F BS Ala. Oct. [ ] Unknown 1 year 30 W.C. " - Missouri 4/12 F BS Tex. March [ ] " 4 months 31 A.J. Wynn - Moses 8 M BS " Decr. [ ] " Sudden 32 W.H. Daley - Pirina 2 F BS Miss. " [ ] Cold 8 days 33 J.W. Ogden - James 5/12 M BS Tex. " [ ] S. Cold 10 days 34 W.W. Groves - Georgia 1 F BS " May [ ] Flux Unknown 35 S.F. Taylor 30 M [ ] Ga. Jany. Waggoner Pneumonia 6days Remarks: The rocks - what little there are is seen to be a formation of sand and iron, no limestone rock in the subdivision. The water generally is impregnated with minerals, iron (unreadable) in some parts of the county there are wells of fine freestone water. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 3 1860 Freestone County, Texas Mortality Schedule 1. Mary M. Carter 67 F M Ga. Feby. [ ] Unknown 2 days 2. Olivia Carter - Simon 12 M BS Ala. Decr. [ ] " " " 3. " " - Infant 1 F BS Tex. Feby. [ ] " Unknown 4. J.W. Alagree 17 M [ ] Mo. Oct. Clerk Yellow Fever 2 weeks 5. Fitzallen Park 1/2 M [ ] Tex. Feby. [ ] Unknown 9 days 6. Margaret S. Park 1 F [ ] " Oct. [ ] Flux 8 days 7. A. Owen - (Marhac?) 2 M BS " Aug. [ ] Chronic (Diarrhea?) 7 months 8. " " - Taylor 9/12 M BS " Sept. [ ] Inflammation Bowels 7 days 9. " " - Jack 10/12 M BS " " [ ] Conjestive Chill 16 days 10.Samuel Robinson 1 M [ ] " June/59[ ] Unknown 2 months 11.Elizabeth J.(Joyew?) 10/12 F [ ] " Feby.? [ ] Whooping Cough 7 days 12.John H. Casey 2 M [ ] " May [ ] Croup 3 days 13.Amanda Weatherby 2 F [ ] " Jany. [ ] Flux 21 days 14.Thomas Driver - Infant 1/12 M MS " May [ ] Strangled 10 months 15.Thomas L. Truitt 1 M [ ] " July [ ] Flux 17 days 16.Eliza Truett 1? F [ ] " " [ ] " 12 days 17.J.F. Ballard 1/12 M [ ] " Oct. [ ] Bleeding 2 days 18.Catharine Walker 58 F M Ga. Sept. [ ] Typhoid Fever 12? days 19.Frances M. James 5 F [ ] Ala. May [ ] Conjestive Fever 3 days 20.Moses Wills 44 M [ ] Ky. Feb. Farmer Paralysis 6 hours 21.Margarett E. Boswell 5 F [ ] Tex. Oct. [ ] Flux 10 days 22.Clara A. Boswell 1 F [ ] " " [ ] " 14 days 23.A.M. Maddox - (Falman?) 2 M BS Ala. Jany. [ ] " " " 24." " " - Infant 1/12 M BS Tex. Aug. [ ] Croup 7 days 25.M. Stroud - Riny 4 F BS " June/59 Whooping Cough 1 month 26." " - Isaac 52 M BS Tenn. Apr. Farm Hand Cramp Colic 4 days 27.J. G. Blackman - Charles 6/12 M BS Tex. June/59 Pneumonia 22? days 28.J.G. Cobb - Infant 1/12 M [ ] " Decr. [ ] Fever 3 days 29.Ezekiel Weaver Jr. 4/12 M [ ] " " [ ] Unknown 6 days 30.John (J.?) Thornton 6 M [ ] Ala. June/59 [ ] Whooping Cough 11 days 31.J.F. Huckaby - Amanda 1 F BS Tex. May [ ] Unknown 8 days 32.W.F. Daniel - William 17 M BS Ala. March [ ] Accidental Sudden 33.Mary Hatcher - (Siss?) 90 M BS Africa June [ ] Old Age 3 weeks 34. " " - Amy 80 F BS Unkn. Apr. [ ] " " 9 days 35.John Waldwan 52 M [ ] S.C. May Farmer Typhoid Fever 15 days Remarks: In the North West corner of this county is a well which is very bitter tasting very much like (Linnament? or Limestone?). It has just been dug and the water has (never?) been analyzed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 4 1860 Freestone County, Texas Mortality Schedule 1. Thomas (L.?) Jones 1 M [ ] Tex. Feb. [ ] Fever 12 days 2. Wiley Smith 53 M M Tenn. Apr. Farmer Liver Complaint 3 months 3. William Perry - John 80 M BS Unkn. May Farm Hand (Trophoy?) of Chest 12 months 4. L.T. Evans - Maria 11 F BS Ala. Aug. [ ] Sore Throat 8 days 5. W.A. Gaston - Peter 8/12 M BS Tex. Aug. [ ] Teething? 5 days 6. William W. Evans 40 M M Ga. Decr. Farmer Consumption 10 months 7. George J. Jones 58 M M Tenn. May Farmer Pneumonia 8 days 8. Sarah E. Netherland 10/12 F [ ] Tex May [ ] Flux 9 days 9. Andrew J. " 3/12 M [ ] " March [ ] Inflammation of brain 2 days 10.Sarah M. Oliver - Willis ?? M BS " Oct. [ ] Fever 18 days 11.John W. Nunn 6/12 M [ ] [ ] June [ ] Croup 12 days 12.Pamela A. F. Nunn 23 F M S.C. June [ ] Pneumonia 8 weeks 13.Edward E. Nunn 3 M [ ] Ala. July [ ] Croup 4 days 14.Sarah Mayberry 4 F [ ] Tex. June [ ] Inflammatory Sore Throat 20? days 15.Elizabeth Mason 17 F [ ] " March [ ] Measels 20 days 16.R.M. Bonner - Wiley 2 M BS " May [ ] Dropsy of Brain Sudden 17.M.M. (Stralyn?)-Infant 1/12 M BS " Feby. [ ] Unknown 3 hours 18.Missouri " 17 F [ ] Ga. Nov. [ ] Typhoid Fever 13 days 19.William Stephenson - Anna 18 F BS " " [ ] Conjestive Chill Sudden 20. " " - Milly 16 F BS " " [ ] " Fever 12 days 21.C. Gorman - Delila 4 F BS Tex. Jany. [ ] Pneumonia 2 days 22. " " - Sarah 4 F BS " Feby. [ ] Burned 6 weeks 23. " " - Jane 1/12 M? BS " Nov. [ ] Smothered by her Mother Sudden 24. " " - Milton 6/12 M MS " Decr. [ ] Diarriah 1 month 25.M.G. Shelton - (Dobie?) 9 F BS " May [ ] Abscess in chest 2 months 26.Mary A. Blain 22 F M Ala. Oct. [ ] Typhoid Dysentary 13 days 27.James M.Simmons-George 1/12 M BS Tex. July [ ] Unknown Unknown 28.Max Rutherford 60 M M Ga. Decr. Farmer Typhoid Fever 30 days 29.Harriett A. Cook 34 F M Ala. Oct. [ ] Flux 26 days 30.Francis " 4 M [ ] Tex. July [ ] Dropsy 12 months 31.J.F.(Teagueman?)-Tennessee 3/12 F BS " Sept. [ ] Unknown 7 days 32.S.E. " 4/12 F [ ] " Decr. [ ] Croup 5 days 33.John Rogers 2/12 M [ ] " July [ ] Hives 7 days 34.Joseph (Y.?) Terry 3/12 M [ ] " Apr. [ ] Whooping Cough 27 days 35.John (Aty?) 33 M M Va. Feby. Carpenter Consumption 1 year Remarks: The case above (23) was a negro child whose mother smothered it by overlaying in the night while asleep. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 5 1860 Freestone County, Texas Mortality Schedule 1. Samantha C.(Coldion?) 4/12 F [ ] Tex. Feby. [ ] Hooping Cough 14 days 2. Minerva E. Akin 1 F [ ] " Jany. [ ] Inflammatory Sore Throat 6 weeks 3. Emanitha L. Shanks 7 F [ ] " April [ ] Pneumonia 3 weeks 4. Catharine Johnson 53 F W S.C. Feby. [ ] Flux 20 days 5. Alice Conoway 1 F [ ] Tex. Aug. [ ] Teething 12 days 6. Sarah B. Green 1/12 F [ ] " April [ ] Hives 3 days 7. J.M. Blackman - Infant 1/12 M BS " Sept. [ ] Unknown 2 hours 8. F.M. Millan - Alice 1 F BS " Nov. [ ] Pneumonia 3 days 9. Doratha L. Hendrix 1 F [ ] " " [ ] Flux 20 days 10.J.L. Bonner - Infant 1/12 M BS " June [ ] Unknown Sudden 11.John Watson - Peter 17 M BS Tenn. June Field Hand Typhoid Fever 10 days 12.Harriette Thomas-William [ ] M MS Tex. Decr. [ ] Unknown 7 days Remarks: The "Black Tongue" prevailed to some extent last winter among the cattle but few were lost in (contagience?) thereof. There seems to be no diseases prevailing among them now. ==================================================================== Index to 1860 Mortality Schedule of Freestone County, Texas Akin, Minerva E. 5 Alagree, J. W. 3 Alice (slave) 5 Amanda (slave) 3 Amy (slave) 3 Anna (slave) 4 Argus (slave) 2 (Aty?), John 4 Ballard, J. F. 3 Blackman, J. G. (slave of) 3 Blackman, J. M. (slave of) 5 Blain, Mary A. 4 Bonner, J. L. (slave of) 5 Bonner, R[euben] M. (slave of) 4 Bonner, S. J. (slave) 2 Boswell, Clara A. 3 Boswell, Margarett E. 3 Bradley, F. M. (slaves of) 2 Carter, Lucinda (slave of) 2 Carter, Mary M. 3 Carter, Olivia (slaves of) 3 Carter, W. C. (slave of) 2 Casey, John H. 3 Charles (slave) 2 Charles (slave) 3 Clark, D. F. 2 Cobb, J. G. (infant of) 3 (Coldion?), Samantha C. 5 Collett, Margaret A. 1 Conoway, Alice 5 Cook, Harriett A. 4 Cook, Francis A. 4 Cotton, W. H. (infant of) 1 Daley, W. H. (slave of ) 2 Daniel, W. F. (slave of) 3 Delila (slave) 4 (Dobie?) (slave) 4 Driver, Thomas (slave of) 3 Dunagan, C. W. Jnr. 2 Dunagan, Charles G. 2 Dunagan, Lucy E. 2 Echols, C. T. (slave of) 2 Elias (slave) 2 Eliza (slave) 2 Evans, L. T. (slave of) 4 Evans, William W. 4 (Falman?) (slave) 3 Ferrell, B[enjamin] P. (slave of) 2 Frances (slave) 2 Francis (slave) 2 Gaston, W. A. 4 George (slave) 2 George (slave) 4 Georgia (slave) 2 Gordon, R. A. (slaves of) 1 Gorman, C. (slaves of) 4 Graves, H.L. (slave of) 1 Grayson, J. B. (slave of) 1 Green, Sarah B. 5 Groves, W.W. (slave of) 2 Hatcher, Mary (slaves of) 3 Hendrix, Doratha L. 5 Hinds, William M. (slave of) 2 Horn, John P. (infant of) 1 Horn, M.F.T. (slave) 2 Huckaby, J. F. (slave of) 3 Infant (slave) 2 Infant (slave) 2 Infant (slave) 3 Infant (slave) 3 Infant (slave) 3 Infant (slave) 4 Infant (slave) 5 Infant (slave) 5 Isaac (slave) 2 Isaac (slave) 3 Jack (slave) 3 James (slave) 2 James, Frances M. 3 Jane (slave) 4 Joanna (slave) 1 John (slave) 4 Johnson, Catharine 5 Johnson, J. B. (slave of) 2 Jones, George J. 4 Jones, Thomas (L.?) 4 (Joseph?), Margaret 2 (Joyew?), Elizabeth J. 3 Lamb, Thomas (slave of) 2 (Laonus?) 1 Lewis (slave) 1 Maddox, A. M. (slaves of) 3 (Marhac?) (slave) 3 Maria (slave) 4 Mary (slave) 2 Mason, Elizabeth 4 Mayberry, Sarah 4 Mazell, (Septhy?) L. 2 McCracin, E. A. (slave of) 2 McIlvain, Mary (slave of) 1 Milam, W. A. (slave of) 1 Millan, F. M. (slave of) 5 Mills, John (slave) 2 Milly (slave) 4 Milton (slave) 4 Mimms, John (slave of) 1 Missouri (slave) 2 Moody, D. J. (slave of) 1 Moses (slave) 1 Moses (slave) 2 Nancy (slave) 2 Netherland, Andrew J. 4 Netherland, Sarah E. 4 Nunn, Edward E. 4 Nunn, John W. 4 Nunn, Pamela A. F. 4 Ogden, J. W. (slave of) 2 Oliver, Sarah M. (slave of) 4 Owen, A. (slaves of) 3 Park, Fitzallen 3 Park, Margaret S. 3 Patton, Geo. R. (slave of) 2 Perry, William (slave of) 4 Peter (slave) 4 Peter (slave) 5 Pheby (slave) 2 Pirina (slave) 2 Riny (slave) 3 Robinson, Samuel 3 Rogers, John 4 Ross, G. W. (slave of) 2 Rutherford, Max 4 Sam (slave) 2 Sarah (slave) 4 Shanks, Emanitha L. 5 Shelton, M. D. (slave of) 4 Simmons, James M. (slave of) 4 Simon (slave) 2 (Siss?) (slave) 3 Smith, M. (P.?) 2 Smith, M. T. (slave of) 2 Smith, Wiley 4 Stevenson, William (slaves of) 4 Story, Sarah 2 (Stralyn?), M. M. (slave of) 4 (Stralyn?), Missouri 4 Stroud, M. (slaves of) 3 Susan (slave) 1 Susan (slave) 2 Stubbs, P. L. (daughter of) 1 Taylor (slave) 3 Taylor, S. F. 2 (Teagueman?), J. F. (slave of) 4 (Teagueman?), S. E. 4 Tennessee (slave) 4 Terry, Joseph (Y.?) 4 Thomas, Harriette (slave of) 5 Thornton, John (J.?) 1 Truett, Eliza 3 Truitt, Thomas L. 3 Waldwan, John 3 Walker, Catharine 3 Wallace, J. G. (infant of) 1 Watson, John (slave of) 5 Weatherby, Amanda 3 Weaver, Ezekiel Jr. 3 Wiley (slave) 4 William (slave) 3 William (slave) 5 Willis (slave) 4 Wills, Moses 3 Winter, P. W. (P.W. - child of) 1 Wortham, L. R. (slaves of) 2 Wynn, A. J. (slave of) 2 Zack (slave) 1